Book 1 Chapter 86

【86】85.

'He shook them off!'

Emio's face was filled with conviction.

'Once you slow down, it's hard to accelerate again!'

Contrary to that, Emio was continuously accelerating.

'With this, the other kids will also feel Leo's limit…'

"Hello?"

"……!"

Emio's eyes widened as he looked to his side.

There was Leo on a broom, waving his hand.

"H-how?!"

"How? I just caught up quickly."

Leo, with an indifferent expression, conjured magic.

Crackling-!

"This is in return for what I gave you a little while ago."

Golden sparks flew from Leo's hand.

"Lightning Bolt!"

Flash! Crackle!

"Gah!"

Emio hastily dodged.

"As expected, it's Professor Alby's magic tool! It looks shabby on the outside, but its performance is incredible!"

Emio sneered and conjured magic in both hands.

Emio, whose specialty was electric magic, chanted a higher-level spell than Lightning Bolt.

"Chain Lightning!"

Fzzzzzzzt-!

Chain-shaped lightning struck Leo.

As Leo lightly avoided the attack, Emio shouted.

"It's useless!"

'Guidance function?'

Leo wore an amused expression.

It was a spell that electrocuted the area around the struck target, but the magical formula seemed to have been modified to give it a guidance function.

As the Chain Lightning chased him, Leo put strength into his broom and lowered his posture.

Crackling-! Pop!

'Gah! He's dodging all of that?'

Seeing Leo effortlessly dodge the Chain Lightning that targeted him at high speed, Emio glared at the broom Leo was riding.

'It's unfair! How can I defeat an opponent riding such a magic tool…'

"Ice Bolt."

Leo launched a spell forward.

Countless ice projectiles flew like bullets.

"Where are you aiming?!"

"Where am I aiming? Forward, Chain Lightning."

Crackling-!

The Chain Lightning Leo launched created a gigantic electric wire in the air.

"No!"

Emio's eyes widened as a huge net of electric wires suddenly appeared in front of him.

The Ice Bolts Leo had shot earlier had become conductors.

"Gah!"

Emio abruptly stopped.

If he were to be electrocuted like this, the match would end in Leo's victory.

Whoosh-!

Pop! Crackle!

It was when Emio, who barely stopped in front of the electric net Leo had cast, let out a sigh of relief.

"It's not over."

Wham-!

"Gasp!"

Leo imbued his fist with aura and struck Emio's magic tool.

The magic tool, whose magical formula system was shaken for a moment, began to run wild.

"I didn't break it, so you can fix it."

Leo smiled faintly and flew into the sky.

"Argh! Woah?!"

The magic tool, out of control, shook uncontrollably.

Whoosh-!

"Gasp!"

Then it began to rush towards the school building.

"S-stop itttttt!"

Thud!

"Huh?!"

Emio, who collided with the building wall, slid down.

Leo smiled once at Emio, then returned after passing the finish line.

"I'm back."

"Leo. It seems you don't need separate aerial combat training."

Alby smiled and praised Leo.

Anna, the associate professor, was surprised to see this.

'Oh my, Professor Alby is actually praising someone?'

Alby was quite stingy with praise, so it was a surprising sight for Anna.

"Senior Alby has also recognized the true value of student Leo! Of course! It's natural! Senior Alby couldn't possibly be unaware of such brilliant talent! Senior has also acknowledged that student Leo is a necessary talent for the Magic Department!"

'This person is overreacting again. He shouldn't lose control in front of the students.'

It was when Anna sighed deeply, wondering when she should stop this person.

Emio, his face a mess from hitting the wall, returned with difficulty.

"Unacceptable! Leo! You cheated!"

Emio shouted in an angry voice.

"What did I cheat at?"

"Where is using aura in a Magic Department class?!"

"There was no rule against using abilities other than magic, was there?"

The students murmured as they listened to their conversation.

"He used aura?"

"It's a magic class, but that's a bit…"

Emio, emboldened by their words, shouted.

"The principle in Magic Department classes is to only use magic!"

"If it were a regular magic class, I wouldn't have used aura. But this is a class to prepare for the inter-department competition, isn't it? Let me tell you. Most of the Knight Department kids have been preparing countermeasures against aerial attacks since the beginning of the semester. Flying in the air isn't a huge advantage."

"Ugh?"

At Leo's words, Emio flinched, then bristled.

"Are you saying the Knight Department kids are superior in a Magic Department class right now?"

Leo sighed deeply.

"I mean, you should prepare countermeasures against the Knight Department kids' attacks. In fact, you lost mobility as soon as your wing magic tool was neutralized. Such situations can happen any number of times in the inter-department competition."

The critical drawback of wing magic.

It was losing mobility if the magic tool broke.

"E-even so, this was an unfair match! You competed with Professor Alby's wing magic tool!"

"This?"

He chuckled and looked down at the broom in his hand.

"This is just an ordinary cleaning magic tool, you know?"

"What?"

Leo threw the broom towards the bewildered Emio.

Emio, who received the broom by surprise, his face hardened.

Just as Leo said, it was an ordinary cleaning magic tool.

"First of all, I don't know how to use wing magic. I haven't learned it."

"What did you say?"

At those words, all the students were surprised.

"You don't know wing magic? It's the most basic of basics, isn't it? No! How did you even chase me without wing magic in the first place?"

"I used Fly magic."

"Fly magic?"

It was a levitation spell that literally boasted history and tradition, existing from before the Age of Disaster until now.

However, in the current era, it was a spell that was almost never used after the invention of wing magic.

"I-impossible."

Emio's face showed disbelief.

"Wing magic is certainly easy and allows you to fly quickly. If you only look at that, it seems like a superior version of Fly magic."

Leo's expression was unenthusiastic.

"But that's as far as it goes, isn't it? It's heavily influenced by the magic tool, and its spell formula limits are clear."

"Leo Flobe is right. Wing magic is a spell created based on Fly magic; it allows anyone to fly quickly through a magic tool, but that's all. Because it focused on increasing convenience, delicate manipulations like those of Fly magic are impossible."

The students who had claimed there were no issues with mobility avoided Alby's gaze.

"It is true that the development of wing magic allowed mages to overcome mobility, which was considered their biggest weakness. But that is only in general cases. You are not ordinary mages; you are students of the Hero Academy."

Everyone flinched at Alby's words.

"And the students from other departments you have to compete against are also Hero Academy students. Don't think that conventional methods will work against your competitors. The biggest problem is not the Knight Department, but the Summoning Department. Mages who rely on wing magic are perfect prey for summoners who handle aerial phantom beasts and spirit users who control wind spirits. Do you understand what I mean now by mobility being a problem?"

"Yes."

Seeing the Magic Department students reply weakly, Ren gave Anna a nod.

"Everyone, from today, we will be practicing Fly magic. Professor Ren, student Torua, and I along with the assistants will help you with the practice. Before practice, we need to divide you into classes based on skill, so we will conduct a test. Please line up, everyone."

At Anna's words, the students lined up in formation.

"Ugh!"

Emio glared at Leo once, then went to join the line.

Ren approached Alby and Leo.

"Student Leo, you can receive guidance on magic combat from Senior Alby."

"Don't I take the test?"

"From what you showed in the match, your mobility is already a passing grade, student Leo."

Ren, who was about to go guide the students with a light laugh, noticed Torua standing beside Leo and frowned.

"Student Torua, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to listen to Professor Alby's class."

"You already know all this! Stop talking nonsense and go guide your juniors!"

Ren grabbed Torua by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away.

Alby, seeing the bustling practice area, said.

"We'll need to move locations."

As Alby lightly waved his hand, an entrance to another space opened in the air.

'Fairy magic, huh.'

Leo stepped through the spatial entrance.

He immediately arrived at another magic practice area.

"What should I do now?"

"Study on your own."

"Aren't you going to teach me anything?"

Alby, perched on a chair in one corner of the practice area, closed his eyes.

"I have no idea what to teach a first-year student who can modify Fly magic to that extent."

Alby, who had recognized how incredibly powerful the magic Leo had just used was, said.

"It seems there's nothing more to teach you at a first-year level. But conducting senior-level classes on my own would be overstepping my authority. So, as a teacher, all I can ask you to do is self-study."

"Then I have a request for you, Professor."

"What is it?"

"Can I enter the Lumern Restricted Archives?"

Alby opened only one eye and looked at Leo.

"Access to the Restricted Archives is beyond a teacher's authority."

"I'm asking you as a member of the Zeron family, not as a professor."

"……"

The Zeron family.

A family known as one of the three great heroic noble families of Lumern, their influence in Lumern was absolute.

"Why do you want to enter the Restricted Archives?"

"I'm looking for some literature."

"What is it?"

"The history of Hero Records not widely known to the public."

"……"

Alby, who had been silently watching Leo speak honestly, nodded.

"If that's what you want, I'll write you a recommendation letter."

"Oh."

Leo let out a gasp of admiration, thinking things were going better than expected.

"Of course, even with my recommendation letter, you can't just enter the Restricted Archives. What's needed to enter the Restricted Archives is the permission of the head of the Zeron family, my elder brother, Artech Zeron."

Alby pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and scribbled on it.

"All I can do is arrange it. The rest is up to you."

"Aw."

Leo's face showed disappointment.

In fact, a recommendation letter just to meet Artech was an incredible thing.

Artech was someone even minor royalty couldn't easily meet.

As he received the recommendation letter, Leo recalled Artech.

'Was he called the Infinity Speller?'

He was a powerful hero said to wield infinite spells.

"Wait. But isn't the head of the Zeron family dispatched to the southern front of Tartaros?"

He was currently absent, as he was subjugating Tartaros on the front lines.

"You can meet his representative."

"His representative?"

"Yes. You can meet them easily. Because they're your senior."

"Who is it?"

Alby let out a rare, deep sigh.

"Lumern third-year, Elena Zeron."

He clicked his tongue, a troubled expression on his face.

"She's my niece."

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